Ambassador George H. Walker

European Policy of the United States
Remarks at the European Studies Center, University of Szeged

Szeged, Hungary
April 28, 2005

I appreciate the invitation from the European Studies Center to speak on this subject. I want to thank the university officials for organizing this event and I encourage university and local officials to continue developing educational and social activities, which support the integration of Hungary's neighbors into the Euro-Atlantic neighborhood.

My remarks will be relatively brief to allow for your questions.

The Power of Partnership

The United States and Europe have a long history and are vital partners in promoting freedom and democracy around the world. We maintain a robust agenda of cooperation on a number of vital issues.

President Bush, Secretary Rice and Deputy Secretary Zoellick have all made recent trips to Europe to enhance the transatlantic dialogue. We all value NATO's role in uniting Europe with the United States and Canada, and NATO's role in making and securing a Europe that is whole, free and at peace. And we also recognize the strengths an expanded European Union can bring to the concerns we share about our world. We share many global concerns with Russia, Ukraine and other countries outside the European Union.

Let me illustrate some areas where Europe and the United States are working in unison.

The Balkans

The United States and the European Union share the goal of progressively integrating the Balkan countries into Euro-Atlantic structures. We strongly support the EU's position that the future of the Balkans is within the European Union. The EU and U.S. have allocated a total of nearly $9 billion in assistance to the region for the period 2002-2006.

We have also been working closely together for the past ten years to stabilize and prevent future conflict in the Balkans.

In Kosovo, we continue to work closely together in the Contact Group and we engage jointly with the UN- and NATO-led missions in Kosovo. Yesterday, I had the fortune of visiting the Hungarian contingent in Kosovo and saw first-hand the commitment of these forces towards our common goal of a multiethnic Kosovo, where all inhabitants, regardless of ethnicity, can live in peace and security. It was a real privilege yesterday to spend most of the day in Kosovo where there are 240 Hungarian troops serving alongside American troops. The duty they have there is not an easy one, but they are doing an outstanding job and their morale is good.

In Bosnia and Herzegovina, the U.S. continues to support the work of the High Representative. On the security side, new arrangements, harnessing the energies of both NATO and the EU, have resulted in the transition of the security operation from a NATO-led force to one led by the European Union.

On legal, political and moral grounds, the U.S. and EU support the work of the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia to provide justice for war crimes. And we call on all parties to meet their international obligations to fully cooperate with the Tribunal as a condition for their full integration into Euro-Atlantic structures.

Middle East and Afghanistan

U.S., EU and Russia are close partners within the Quartet, alongside the United Nations, in the pursuit of peace in the Middle East. EU has made significant contributions to our mutual goal of promoting good governance, democracy and strong civil liberties throughout the Middle East.

Since the January 2005 Palestinian elections, the U.S. and the European Union have each pledged more than $300 million to support reform in the Palestinian Authority. The U.S. and EU also work together in promoting reform through the Broader Middle East and North Africa Initiative.

We share a commitment to the future of a federal, democratic, pluralistic and unified Iraq. The U.S. and the European Union supported preparations for Iraq's January elections and will continue to cooperate to support Iraq's democratic institutions. NATO is now contributing to a training mission for security forces in Iraq. The European Union has announced it is willing, alongside the United States, to host an international conference to encourage and coordinate support for Iraq.

In Afghanistan, the European Union has been a close partner in supporting democratic development and reconstruction. In 2003, the EU pledged to provide one billion Euros to Afghanistan over a five-year period to support reconstruction and development. Plus, many European troops, including Hungarians, serve alongside Americans in helping secure Afghanistan's future.

Getting Down to Business

The European Union and the U.S. share the largest trade and investment relationship in the world, providing millions of jobs on both sides of the Atlantic. We continue to jointly dismantle trade and investment barriers, stimulate economic growth and increase our mutual prosperity. Overall trade and investment flows across the Atlantic total more than two trillion dollars.

Trade liberalization continues to boost economic growth and improve overall living standards. The U.S. and the European Union have developed a series of roadmaps to facilitate transatlantic trade addressing issues such as regulatory cooperation, financial markets, procurement and agriculture.

We utilize direct channels and multilateral organizations such as the World Trade Organization to resolve disputes over aircraft subsidies or bananas, which affect only a small percentage of our transatlantic trade and investment. Meanwhile, innovative technologies in fields such as information, communication, energy, biotechnology, pharmaceuticals and other health-related products can provide impetus to our economic partnership.

What does this mean for countries such as Hungary? U.S. investment in Hungary now totals more than $8 billion. I believe we surpassed last year Germany as the largest investor in Hungary. Late last year I traveled around the United States with Hungary's ambassador to Washington to highlight the opportunities for trade and investment in Hungary. In the past few weeks, U.S. firms such as Honeywell and IBM have announced expansion plans increasing Hungarian jobs and U.S. investment in Hungary.

Last week I met with my fellow U.S. ambassadors to the Visegrad countries (Czech Republic, Poland and Slovakia) to discuss our efforts to enhance bilateral relations as well as transatlantic ties. As an ambassador and a businessman, I recognize the benefits of trade and investment beyond the world of business, and therefore encourage such activity to enhance and sustain Euro-Atlantic relations.

I really believe that international trade and the exchange of students and teachers in the educational world, plus the commercial exchange, will do more to advance the cause of world peace more than almost everything else.

Closing Comments

The United States recognizes the vital importance of our partnership and cooperation with Europe. Although we occasionally have disagreements and debates, and we always will, the depth and framework of our partnership and cooperation have yielded benefits to both sides of the Atlantic and beyond. The examples I have outlined can be augmented by our work throughout the globe and on issues as diverse as combating terrorism, stopping the trafficking of people, arms and drugs, and exploring our universe through the international space station.

The security of the U.S. depends on its partnership with Europe. The Bush Administration has realized that we must enhance our relationship with Europe in the interests of the future of the United States in the world. Our relationship almost cannot be broken, because our values are so similar. When I talk about values I mean the basic values of respect for people and the rights of every individual, respect for the rule of law, and a commitment to democracy and freedom. These values will bind us together, independently of our past and ongoing cooperation in the world.

Thank you again for the invitation to speak at this forum, and I look forward to your questions.